As Sandy walked passed the old bike shed she heard a faint whimper. She went to investigate thinking it was an injured puppy or kitten, she was shocked to find Danny huddled up in a corner with tears streaming down his face.
‘What’s the matter?’ Sandy asked.
‘Go away, leave me alone’ came the muffled reply. ‘You’re just as bad as the rest leave me alone’ Danny sobbed.
Sandy looked at him and thought yes he’s right I am like all the rest I have stood by while the school bully picked on him. But she had an idea, maybe she could help him.
She explained to Danny how, when she needs help with a problem she goes to her special place and every thing always works out for the better.
‘Singing Ringing Tree ?’ Danny exclaimed.
‘Yes’ said Sandy ‘bring you’re bike and meet me here at six tonight I’ll take you there and you’ll see for your self.’
‘I, I, I don’t know’ Danny stammered. ‘Nothing can stop Nick Adams.’
Sandy turned and walked away ‘See you at six.’
As they cycled up to the tree Sandy was glad that Danny had turned up. O.K he was ten minutes late but she was glad she’d waited. She had known Danny for nine years ever since he moved into her street when he was only six. He was a sad boy who has lived with his Grandparents ever since his parents were killed in a car crash. They try their best but they’re not Mum and Dad.
As they neared the tree they began to hear the most wonderful magical sound. It was like thousands of very faint whispers all at different levels, and as they approached the tree it got louder and louder. Danny felt a kind of warmth and calmness deep within him.
They jumped off their bikes and just stood there listening. Danny was mesmerised by the sound of the tree, it seemed to wash all over him.
‘Go on then’ said Sandy ‘tell the tree.’
‘I feel stupid talking to a tree’
‘Why?’ Said Sandy ‘it’s talking to you, just listen to it’.
Danny plucked up courage and told how he had been bullied and cried him self to sleep for years after the death of his Mum and Dad, and how he cries him self to sleep now for a different reason. Bullying.
Sandy began to cry when Danny spoke about how he had thought about killing him self because he was so un-happy.
He sat there underneath the tree staring out at the little town below. He turned and looked at Sandy tears streaming down his face. She went to him and hugged him, both were crying. They stayed like that for ages until Sandy realised it was getting dark.
They got on their bikes and peddled down the long winding road back to Burnley.
After about half a mile they heard a crackling sound and turned to see a large blue light coming from the direction of the tree. It only lasted a second.
Just before the blue flash Nick Adams was just about to daub paint on the Singing Ringing Tree when he turned and saw a weird shape making a loud screeching noise that drowned out the melodic tones of the tree.
Nick looked closely and saw a door open with a shadowy figure beckoning to him. He felt compelled to approach the figure, he tried to resist but found it impossible. Nick was very scared.
Suddenly he found himself in a room with a great big massive screen filling the entire side of one wall.
The figure who beckoned him entered the room and pointed to the screen; Nick looked at the screen and saw a young boy of about six sat in the corner of the play ground all by himself with tears streaming down his face.
‘Who’s that?’ said Nick. No answer came from the figure, only a hand outstretched pointing to the screen.
Then suddenly there was sound coming from the screen. Nick could now hear the little boy crying but in the background he could see a gang of children shouting abuse at the boy, their voices were slowly getting louder and louder, drowning out the cries of the boy in the corner.
No matter how loud their shouts Nick couldn’t make out what they were saying but he knew it wasn’t nice. Then one of the gang threw something, it splattered all over the boys face and all the gang screamed with laughter.
‘Who’s the boy?’
Again no answer. Just the pointing finger.
The screen now showed a fifteen year old boy with similar features as the other boy. Nick got the feeling that the two boys were the same. The boy was talking to a girl they were laughing and giggling they looked very happy together. Then out of the blue they were surrounded with a group of boys and girls of a similar age, they started shouting and pushing the two friends. Again Nick couldn’t make out what they were saying.
One of the girls kicked out at the girl in the middle the boy went to protect her but as he did the gang tripped him up and he and his girl friend ended up in a heap on the floor with all the gang kicking and thumping them.
‘Who are they? Why are they doing that to them? They’ve done nothing wrong.’ Nick was starting to get agitated now.
The screen suddenly went off, it stayed silent for a few minutes then he heard the two friends sobbing. He looked at the figure, again it pointed to the screen.
Nick looked and saw the two friends they were older now by about two years the boy kissed her and waved to her as he walked down the street. Nick saw that the girl was pregnant. They seemed very familiar to Nick.
The screen slowly changed, it showed a gang of young men chasing the boy along a railway embankment.
As Nick watched the scene in front of him all he could think about was how, from an early age the boy had been mercilessly bullied.
The gang caught up with boy and threw him to the ground but suddenly one of the boys yelled to leave him alone Nick clearly heard him shout ‘he’s had enough’.
The gang let him go.
The boy never saw the train coming as he turned to run across the train line.
The screen went blank. Nick looked at the figure in the corner. ‘Is that my Dad?’ He screamed through the tears that now streamed down his face.
The figure said nothing
‘Tell me please is it my Dad, why was they bullying him? I don’t understand. What am I doing here? Who are you?’
The figure stood silent and slowly started fading from view. Nick looked and through loud sobs he screamed at the fast disappearing figure ‘please tell me is it my Dad? The figure had gone and Nick was left with nothing but darkness.
There was a sudden shaking ‘come on Nick time for school.’ He looked up and saw his Mother, the same features as the girl on the screen.
Had it all been a dream. Nick shrugged his shoulders and got ready for school.
Just before the nine o’clock bell Danny was Rushing out of school with his school blazer ripped to tatters when he bumped into Sandy. ‘So much for your magic tree, nothings changed.’
Sandy talked to Danny and managed to talk him into returning back to school
Looking out of the cloak room window stood Nick Adams watching the two figures talking; they reminded him of the boy and girl in his dream.
At dinner time the boys had gathered to give Danny a hard time when a Figure pushed through the crowd. ‘Leave him alone, he’s had enough.’ One of the boys ignored him and went to punch Danny; Danny shut his eyes and winced as he waited for the punch.
‘I said leave him alone, he’s had enough.’
Danny opened his eyes expecting to see one of the teachers but to his surprise he saw Nick stood there holding the boy by his arms.
‘It stops now, right here.’ Nick looked and smiled at Danny and whispered ‘I’m sorry.’
That night after school Danny and Sandy were talking about the singing ringing tree and how it had helped him. But back in Nick’s house it was a different story.
Nick was busy asking his Mum how his Dad really died.
She told him how he got knocked down by a train running away from some bullies and how he died before he was born. He was a lovely man, he’d have made a great Dad.
Nick went to bed and looked out at the stars above and his eyes wandered over to the hills where the singing ringing tree stood. May-be it wasn’t a dream, may-be there is something magical about that tree.
